Tire-armor.



J. GLATT.

TIRE ARMOR. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 3,1914.

1,133,099., Patented Mar. 23, 1915. I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. CLATT.

TIRE ARMOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1914.

1,183,099. Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

awuemto'a J'OHN CLATT, OF GORIN, MISSOURI.

TIBE-ABMOR.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN CLA'IT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gorin, in the county of Scotland and State of Missouri, have invented new anduseful improvements in Tire-Armor, of which the following is; a specification.

The present invention relates to a tire armor, the primary object being to provide a tire of a self-propelling machine with means which will insure its travel over rough or sandy roads, through ruts formed in the road, as well as to insure the machine against skidding when traveling upon a wet or slippery surface, and which is further adapted to protect the tires to preserve the life of the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide an armor for pneumatic .tires which may be easily and quickly applied and which, when in such applied position, will 'be sustained securely upon the tire.

A further object of the invention is to i provide a tire armor made up of a plurality of plates conforming in shape to the portion of the tire with which they engage, the said plates being flexibly connected and certain of the same; being provided with means which engage with the telly of the wheel and sustain all of the plates securely upon the tire.

A still further object of the invention is the construction of a tire armor formed of a plurality of connected plates, each of the said plates having one of its edges bent to form a lip which is reinforced by laterally extending knife or interlocking members which are secured to the plates, whereby the tire will bite the roadbed both in a longitudinal and transverse direction, to insure a firm grip. thereon, and to prevent a movement of the wheels in a lateral direction.

A still further object of the invention is the construction of an armor for pneumatic tires made up ofa plurality of plates shaped to conform to the portion of the tire with which they engage and which have no projecti'cns or extensions that can inflict injury to the tire, each of the said plates having a flexible connection, and being provided to their opposite sides with extending members which will limit the sinking of the tire in sandy ground, each of the said plates having one of its ends formed with aigripping flange, andwhich is centrally provided with an additional flange which tapers from its Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915..

Application filed .Tune 3, 1914. Serial No. 842,751.

end to its point of engagement with the lip or flange, whereby the said plate will be insured "a firm grip with the surface over which the vehicle travels.

With the above and other objects in view,

the improvement resides in the construction,

combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel provided with my improved tire armor, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view illustrating the manner of connecting the end members or plates, Figl 4 is a longitudlnal section on the line u-u of Fig.2, Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 'c@ of Fig. 1, Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section on the line 'ww of Fig. 2, Fig. 7 is a detail-perspective view of one of the armor sections or plates, Fig. 8' is an elevation, partly in section, of a device which may be employed for-drawing the end links of the arm'ortoward each other to permit of a connection between the same, Fig. 9 is a The numeral 4 designates broadly the improved tire armor which is made up of a plurality of sections 5 that are flexibly connected together as will hereinafter be provided with a pneumatic tire 3.

more fully set forth. Each of the sections 5 is of a similar construction, each being formed from a sheet of suitable material, metal-preferred, and each having its body'fi rounded or curved from its opposite end-to conform with the shape of the portion of the tire 3 with which it is to engage. .The body 6 is not only rounded from its opposite ends, but is dished from its opposite edges,

and one of the said edges'is provided with an extending portion which is bent at a right angle to the body to form a lip 7, the lip being rounded to conform to the shape of the body, but terminating on the sides thereof at a suitable distance from its opposite ends. The lip '7 is not necessarily provided by bending an extending portion of the metal from which the section is formed, as the sections may be molded .or cast, and the lip molded or cast with the sections. In the showing of the drawings 1 have illustrated an entering member'in the nature ofa plate 8 which is angular in cross section, one of the angular portions being secured, as at 9, to each of the sections-5, the second angular portionwhich forms the entering member proper having its end bent at a right angle and secured, as at 10, to the'lip 7. It is, of course, to be understood that the member 8 may be integrally formed with the section if desired, and each of the said sections have their longitudinal edges above the terminal of the lip 7- formed with laterally extending members which are adapted to have their ends bent over the body proper and secured thereto, as at 11, thus providing the said body adjacent its opposite ends with spaced eyes 12 which project over the longitudinal edges of the said body and which are adapted to receive links 13, whereby the sections of the armor may be flexibly secured together. Certain of the. sections 5 have their ends formed with straps. whicharebent outwardly and downwardly over the bodies to provide spring clips or hooks l4, and each of said hooks is adapted to receive a link 15, one of the said links having arranged thereon a strap 16 which is provided with a suitable buckle .17, and the said strap is adapted to be passed over the tire 3 between the spokes of the wheel through the second link of the section 5, and is returned over the rim to engage with the tongue of the buckle 17. One of the leads of the strap is preferably arranged to one side of the spoke of the wheel, and the second lead preferably arranged to the oppositesideof the said spoke, and with such an arrangement it will be noted that danger of the armor sections slipping or sliding along the tire will be effectively prevented. Fur thermore, the sections of the tire are so arranged as to fully engage the entire surface of the tire so that it will tightly contact therewith, but not with sufficient friction to injure the tire; It is also to be understood that a cushion member, 0, in the nature of cloth, canvas, rubber or the like they be, and preferably is, interposed between the armor and the outer face of the tire.

One of the end sections of the armor is distinguished from the remainder by the character 18, this section being of a similar construction to the sections previously described, the second end section being distinguished from the remainder by the character 19, and this section is also substantially similar to those previously described. lhe section-l9, however, has whatI will terrndts'outer edge formed with hooks 20 in lieu of the eyes 12, and the said hooks are disposeddiametrically opposite the eyes 12 upon the opposite side of the sections. Pivot'ally secured to the section 19, as at 21,

are the body members 22 of spring catch members 23. These members 23'have their ends rounded outwardly, as at 24, and are adapted to be swung over the open ends of the hooks, after the links 13 connected with the eyes in the members 18 have been engaged by the said hooks.- 1

The body members of the catch 23 directly to the rear of their rounded engaging portions 24 are formed with lateral extensions 25 and 26 respectively which are adapted to contact with the links 1% engaged by the hooks and also provide a roller hear ing upon the outer face of the section 19" and whereby the links are prevented from becoming accidentally removed from the hooks. In order to bring the end members fully together to permit of the links of the end member 22 being engaged by the hooks 20 and catches 23 of the end member 19, I provide a tool which includes a handle 27 having one of its ends formed with a rounded depression 28. The member 27 is of a width substantially equaling thedistance between the longitudinal members of the links 13, and pivotally securedto the handle, above the depression 28, is the slotted or bifurcated end 29 of a hook member 30. The hook has its end formed with the hook into engagement with one of the links carried by the member 19, it will be notedthat a. pull upon the handle or lever will draw the said end link to permit of the same. being arranged within the hook-20 and engaged by the catch 23. The tool is operated. in a similar manner for bringing the second link member into engagement with the second hook.

, In Fig. 9 of the drawings l have illustrated a section of an armor similar to that above described, except that the said member, preferably below the eyes 12' thereof, is formed with outwardly extending flanges 31, the said flanges being disposed at a right angle to the rim of the wheel and extendin the entire width of the armor section, an projecting therefrom a suitable distance and adapted to serve as means for preventing the armor sinking in sandy ground as will readily be understood. #In al of the fig s of he drawings, the

members 8 are rounded from their points a plurality of members shaped to agree with the portion of the tire with which they en- 15 gage, a flexible connection between all of the sections, each of the sections having one of its edges downturned to provide a lip, an i Y entering member secured centrally upon the outer face of each of the sections and arranged at an angle to the lip and secured with the lip, means for connecting the end sections, and means for securing the armor w upon the tire.

In testimon whereof I afiix my signature in'presence 0' two witnesses.

JOHN CLAT'I.- Witnesses: ALPHA PALMER,

JOHN W. Tnoms. 

